About Movie

Well I know you guys may have seen the infamous commercial for The Snuggie.

It kind of reminds me of a backwards bathrobe or maybe something a monk would have designed but I can say that all in all in a crazy way it kind of makes sense. How many times have you been sitting on the couch watching a great movie or even reading a book and felt the need to get some extra blankets or bed covers because you started feeling a little cold and you realized that the cover was either to bulky or you had to have your arms exposed just to continue reading or maybe find the remote to change the channels on your television.

The funny thing is I was in that exact position when I seen the late night commercial for The Snuggie and even though the commercial did seem kind of extreme and humorous I couldn't stop thinking about purchasing two for my wife and I. So after seeing the commercial I decided to buy two, the colors I chose was Blue ( my wife's favorite color) and a green one for myself.

Once I placed my order online I received my package in about a week and I must say I was pleasantly please as well as surprised. They felt very cozy to the touch and seemed to have a decent quality to them. They also gave each of us a pretty neat book reading light device which came in really handy. So some of you may be asking "How Do You Put It On" well it's just like putting on a hospital gown. You put your arms though the holes and that's it.

Now I can say that it kept me warm and I was able to have my hands free to do a lot of the things I wanted to do but because I am kind of a short person it dragged a lot on the floor so I had to grap it to keep it from dragging to much. Also for the first time wearing it it was a little itchy but after a few wears it felt fine and that problem went away. It was washable and after several times in the wash the snuggie still maintained it's out of the box feel. I was also amazed to find out how many different snuggies they have available ranging from kids, school and even dog snuggies.

So in my opinion I would recommend buying The Snuggie, mainly due to the fact that they're not that expensive, easy to use and they are comfortable. I may also purchase the kids snuggies. If I do I will tell you guys all about it.

With the holidays coming up, many people are looking for ways to come up with some quick money for presents for their family. Money is tight for a lot of people right now, so you might have to get creative. Here are just some of the ways I've come up with to make a quick $100 to help with your holiday shopping.

1. Sell something you already own and aren't using on Craigslist

Craigslist.org is perhaps THE top site for selling things quickly and locally. Forget about classifieds in your local paper. You want to focus on Craigslist. It gets more traffic than probably most classified sites combined and you can get interested buyers in your stuff very, very quickly. Find some electronic or computer equipment that you're not really using and put it on Craigslist for a decent price. Other things that sell well on Craigslist are furniture, certain collectibles, and exercise equipment. Hey, if you're not using that stair master...then put it on Craigslist!

2. Advertise yourself and offer to clean a house or do a move for someone

Elderly people are looking for help with house cleaning or moving all the time. If you're in good enough physical condition to help someone move for a day, you can easily make $100 (perhaps more). Yes, it's definitely harder labor...but you could clear $100 in a day or less. Tax free! Or offer to clean someone's house for $100. People will take you up on it, especially more affluent people who need their home cleaned for a party they're getting ready to have.

3. Sell books or DVDs on Half.com

Half.com is a heavily visited site for people selling books and movies. Other things are sold, but books are a large part of their site. If you have old textbooks, or even fiction/non-fiction books, then you could consider selling them on Half.com for some quick money.

4. Go to construction job sites (or residential sites that are renovating) and offer to haul away scrap metal

This is often overlooked, but collecting scrap metal (particularly aluminum and copper) can help you earn some quick money. Go visit a job site and see if they will let you haul away some scrap aluminum door or window frames. Load up a wheelbarrow full of iron pipe. If you have access to a pick-up truck, this would make things a lot easier to haul to the scrap yard of course. A couple of truck loads of aluminum, iron, or copper (which is certainly more difficult to come by) and you could be looking at $100 in a day's work.

5. Be an article broker

This idea takes a little more explanation, but the idea is that you buy articles (in bulk) from cheap sources and submit them to paid article submission websites, such as AssociatedContent.com, for a small profit. One way to do this would be to create a project on eLance.com asking for someone to write you 100 articles and you'll pay them $.50 per article. Obviously the quality isn't going to be that great, but you will find someone willing to do it. Chances are they'll be from a foreign country but you can ask for a small sample of their writing before agreeing to work with them. Once they're sent you the 100 articles (on whatever subject you want) then you can submit them to AssociatedContent.com. This is not the quickest turnaround because the articles have to (a) be received from your writer, (b) submitted to AssociatedContent.com, (c) approved by AssociatedContent.com, (d) and then you are shown what they will pay you per article. As of this writing, I believe the least amount of money they will pay you for an accepted article is $1.50. So if all of your articles are accepted, then you would make a profit of $100 for those 100 articles.

These are just a few ways to try and make a quick $100 but hopefully they will get your gears turning and you can come up with similar ways yourself. Good luck in your quest for extra cash!

Disc golf is a sport that has been growing in popularity ever since the invention of the sport in the late 1960's. The sport has grown to over 3,000 courses in the US and another 3,000 globally. This underground sport that many people have never heard of is a fun game that many people are starting to play.

Disc golf is a game that is played very similarly to regular golf, however, instead of using a ball you use discs. The objective is the same as regular golf in the fact that you tee off from a tee-pad and shoot for a hole. However, instead of using a hole like in regular golf the hole is a basket. The basket consists of hanging chains with a basket at the bottom. Your goal is to hit the chains and have the disc land in the basket. As in ball golf you keep track of your scores and are trying to record the lowest score possible.

Just like ball golf you have different clubs or discs for different situations. The three most frequent discs you throw are you driver, mid-range which is like a 7-iron in ball golf and your putter. Each disc, just as in golf, is easier to control and more accurate with the putter being the easiest disc golf use.

The greatest thing about disc golf is that most courses are free to play. You simply have to bring your own discs. This makes it a very affordable and fun game for the average individual while ball golf is much more restrictive with their high green fees. Some courses are placed on personal property and these courses usually charge a nominal fee which is much less than any ball golf course.

If you're just starting out with disc golf it is recommended that you simply buy a mid-range disc. These discs are much easier to throw and control than the drivers. Furthermore, mid-range discs are much easier to work your technique than a driver. This is due to the stability and rim-size of the disc. A few suggestions of discs to consider are the Millennium Element, Innova Roc or Innova Shark. These are a very good beginners disc and can be used for drives and puts the same.

In ball golf the professional association that is associated is the PGA in disc golf the association is the PDGA. The PDGA oversees the sport in the US and governs the community. In fact, they help coordinate the world disc golf championship and the US disc golf championship. Both of these events are premier events similar to a "Masters" tournament in ball golf. If you are wondering who the Tiger Woods of the sport is then look no further than David Feldberg. The Jack Nicklaus of the sport would be Ken Climo. Both players are considered at the top of the sport and have made many DVD's teaching the game.

Disc golf has been featured on a few televisions and movies and will only increase in popularity as the years go on. Get yourself a disc and find your nearest course to see exactly what you're missing!

The Sony KDL40Z5800 is a great match for those who want unequaled TV viewing with a full high-definition screen. This 40-inch full 1080p LCD television just makes it better with its sleek design packed with full features. And if those things are not enough, this LCD TV still gives you access to over 140 television and radio channels without subscriptions and contracts - all thanks to freesat.

The TV also comes with MotionFlow 200Hz refresh rate with IB reduction. This technology effectively eliminates blur found in most fast-moving and high-action scenes, and ensures that you get the smoothest pictures ever. Pair its Live Colour Creation with the Bravia Engine 3 and you get to see pictures on this 40-inch Bravia with more vibrant and real colours than ever.

A high dynamic contrast ratio of 100,000:1 displays deeper shades of black, making sure that they are never washed out. Its 10-bit panel gives natural-looking pictures with life-like colours. Moreover, there are 4 HDMI inputs which allows you to connect your high-definition electronics to your LCD TV. Watch movies in full high definition and see details like you've never seen them before - even in your favourite games.

Connect your USB devices to the Sony KDL40Z5800 and watch your pictures come alive on its 40" screen. You can even make it into a huge picture frame when you aren't watching TV - perfect for family gatherings.

Do not worry too much about power - it has Eco Settings which will help you save energy and be more friendly to the environment. The Energy Saving Switch also makes sure that your TV consumes no power whenever it is on standby.

Network applications are also installed in your Sony KDL40Z5800, and is accessible when you connect your TV to the internet. RSS feeds and others keep you connected. Moreover, Bravia SYNC lets you connect all your compatible devices with just a click, doing away from all settings and hassles.

Aside from the built-in freesat tuner which lets you watch HD and SD satellite broadcasts, it also has built-in MPEG-2 and Cable tuners which lets you connect your 40-inch Bravia LCD to a wide variety of television providers.

And who says you should have an external speaker system to fully enjoy the Sony KDL40Z5800? It comes with two 10-watt front speakers with the S Force Front Surround technology, allowing you to experience digital surround sound - even with just two front speakers. It also features Voice Zoom, and supports Dolby Digital Plus technology. Hook up an optional speaker bar, or connect it to a home theatre system and experience viewing to even greater heights

Let the Sony KDL40Z5800's slim frame bring you to a whole new viewing experience by simply cancelling the frame, giving more attention to the picture rather than the bezel, as compared to other LCD TVs which make people notice the bezel than the picture itself.

Connect your desktop or laptop computers with its PC input 15-pin D-sub plus audio in to utilise it as a full high definition monitor. It also has a minijack to connect your 3. 5mm headphones and earphones so you can watch on your Bravia without disturbing the whole household even when everybody else is sleeping.

Perhaps you are reading this because you're someone who suffers knee bumping, rapid breathing, heart palpating random panic attacks. I hurt for you as I used to hurt for myself when I perceived the spawning of these symptoms from my core. Sometimes, I was able to just breathe through them and all would quiet in a short time, but other times, I landed in the emergency room of my local hospital. I felt like prey as I rarely knew what was going to bring them on.

I was offered a variety of treatments for my ailments. Once, in my teens, I suffered tunnel vision and the most handsome of interns held my hand and asked me to talk about all of what was "stressing" me out in my life. I'm not sure if it was just the fact that I was conveying my suffering or the fact that I desperately wanted to see all of his unshaven, handsome face that my vision organically began to materialize again into all the corners of my limited perception.

My own very sweet General Practitioner suggested I go see a "counsellor" through her own tear stained face after hearing my desperate pleas to help me to address the anxiety and fear I was facing more and more daily. I was a tender 25 years of age. She suggested this route before I might qualify for prescription for anxiety-suppressing meds. The outcome was not favorable as the "counsellor" appeared quite confused and lacked character structure and actually appeared to need way more help than I did.

Some little light within me fought to seek a solution that was lasting, permanent and natural. Knowing that I was up against my own mother's diagnosis of schizophrenia, manic depression and her eventual suicide when I was eight years of age did not help either. As time went on, I was beginning to feel that I was on the brink of "losing my own mind" and the anxiety attacks just brought me closer to this terror. Hourly, I was feeling an inner terror that pricked at the base of my spine. The anxiety episodes began to escalate. I had to solve this.

If you are also suffering a similar plight, it is important to consider all your options before taking the plunge into medication or even meditation. I'm a results-based kind of person and if I'm going to pursue a modality of treatment, I need to know what is going to work, why and what are the potential risks and side effects. I'm going to share what I found with you so that you can also wholly weigh the consequences. By the way, I did solve my panic attacks long-term and haven't had nary a one in over 20 years. I'm 46 as I pen this. Thankfully, even though I know I was a pretty advanced case needing panic attacks treatment, I was able to resolve it naturally.

I'm going to begin, though, offering you the pluses and minuses of drugs prescribed for Panic Attacks. The unfortunate part is that chemical protocol is not curative, but suppressive, and increases your chronic condition. Most folks know this, because as soon as you take the meds away, the symptoms reemerge back in plain view. Drugs can be helpful, short-term, if you just need to gather your perspective to figure out how you want to address your symptoms for the long-term. They can provide you with the illusion of a clearer head, which can be mighty helpful in the present, but as a mechanism of management, you may be dealing with some very unwanted side effects.

Some of the deleterious side effects you may want to consider will include liver, kidney and lymph toxicity. The other thing to realize is that on these drugs you may not have access to the e-motions that you do love in yourself. I've had individuals tell me that while on their meds. they could no longer feel the emotions of the characters in a movie or wholly empathize with their daughter's break-up with her boyfriend. Often folks on anxiety drugs feel "flat-lined" emotionally and this can leave a person feeling short-changed in the sphere of their life. Unable to wholly penetrate into the realm of sympathetic or empathetic impressions.

My own grandmother, yes, on my Mom's side, sadly lived on tranquilizers long-term. Her vacant eyes and empty "yes, dear" as an answer to every provocation was frankly pathetic. I despised her for not having the courage to face the root of her ills and I avoided her at all cost as it was like being engaged with a "hollow" woman. I often had the impulse to just scream at her to see if I could wake her from her living coma. There was no real person to connect with and to me she died years before her physical body succumbed.

Most folks don't know this, but the Pharmaceutical companies have been using the same tranquilizers and benzodiazepines for years. The chief ones available to us modern folk are:

• Xanax (alprazolam)
• Klonopin (clonazepam)
• Valium (diazepam)
• Ativan (lorazepam)

While they are fast-acting, bringing calm or "relief" within about thirty minutes to an hour after taking them, there are longer-term drawbacks that aren't usually spelled out for you in the Doctor's office. The calming effect first realized can precipitate a numbing quality, as I've mentioned, especially over time. Other unwanted side-effects can include drowsiness, fogginess, and lack of co-ordination. Folks will often justify they're very low doses, but even micro doses of benzodiazepines, can cause problems with work, school, or everyday activities such as driving. Some individuals will report a medication hangover the next day which can effect your motivation and zest for life.

Depending on the individual, some will cite a "sped-up" feeling or worsened anxiety state precipitating mania, impulsiveness, hallucinations, hostility, rage and even panic attacks themselves which is the opposite outcome the patient is seeking. Over time, the medication can build up in the system, if proper detoxification is not employed, causing the patient to feel like they are permanently inebriated.

Look for these common side effects of benzodiazepines or tranquilizers and work with your Doctor to adjust dosage or switch the type of medication until these symptoms are more minimal:

• Drowsiness
• Lack of energy
• Clumsiness
• Slow reflexes
• Slurred speech
• Confusion and disorientation
• Depression Dizziness
• Light-headedness Impaired thinking and judgement Memory loss, forgetfulness Nausea, stomach upset Blurred or double vision

Benzodiazepines are also associated with depression. You will need to watch for longer-term benzodiazepine side effects like suicidal feelings. The feeling of being disconnected from spouse, children and parents can worsen over time and sadly affect relationships on a long-term basis. My mother and grandmother were a testament of this for me.

If you do choose the chemical drug route, it is imperative that anti-anxiety medication not be combined with any other drugs. Also, an overdose can be fatal when taken in large doses or combined with any other central nervous system depressants. Taking anti-anxiety medication with alcohol, prescription painkillers, or sleeping pills can be deadly. Dangerous drug interactions can also occur when anti-anxiety drugs are taken with antihistamines, which are found in many over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines. Keep in mind that Anti-depressants such as Prozac and Zoloft can also heighten their toxicity.

If you have a little breathing room and your panic attacks are not bearing down on you like waves of labor. You might take a look at more natural ways of coping with your condition. This was the route I began with myself, and it helped immensley. Although, my more advanced symptoms did eventually propel me into the realm of principled, natural medicine, I went this route of regimen practices first as the drug protocols scared me more. As you can imagine, I was willing to try just about anything to avoid my grandmother and mother's fates. Living shut down, numbed-out on prescription drugs or suicidal were not viable options for me. I needed to solve this outright.

Some of the viable non-drug panic attacks treatment options available can begin with psycho-dynamics including cognitive-behavioral therapy, for example. I used a system called Heilkunst Medicine (the whole art of healing and curing) to resolve my own ills which organizes all treatments into three jurisdictions starting with a foundation in diet and lifestyle changes, followed by homeopathic medicine and then cognitive-behavioral therapies to address the core fears and belief structures. Not all of their practitioners practice all three of these jurisdictions, but I'm happy to help you find one if you feel you need. The first jurisdiction of Heilkunst treatment encourages regular exercise, adequate sleep, a healthier diet, improving your relationships and a thorough detoxification. Often folks find that by adding a regular protocol of oils, minerals, greens and eliminating grains from their diet, alone, can have cathartic effects on their panic attacks. Resolving spikes in sugar and a lack of adequate nutrition with whole food supplementation can go along way to help quiet potential anxious moments.

Live Blood analysis by an excellent practitioner can also help source out the cause of your panic attacks by indicating heavy metal toxicity and discerning if you're actually absorbing your water. Water has the function of expanding the cell, just as your organism is trying to be expanded by the anxiety. If each cell is armored and encased in salt, so is your overall organism. When the anxiety erupts, it will push up uncomfortably against your armored cells causing a tension in your body that produces the sweating, heart palpatations and the general quickening as if you're going to explode.

Your anxiety is just trying to "expand" you and dissolve your armoring. It just goes about it with much suffering and debilitating affects. Sadly, nature can be kind of crude in her manner of attempting to resolve things on your behalf. If you provide her with sound, logical tools, such as homeopathic medicines, which are based on the curative law of nature "like cures like", and pursue cognitive therapies including character analysis, and biofeedback, you can really uproot the cause of your anxiety and address it with treatment protocols that work and resolve your issues long-term without side-effects just as I did.

I've found that it really isn't about suppressing or repressing your anxiety at all. It is more about solving the overflow and then converting and channelling the power of those e-motions (= "energy in motion") into a means where they wholly serve you through knowledge, creativity, and inspiration. In the end, you will own a whole lot more consciousness and a milieu of feelings and life impressions that enrich your life, not dumb it down.

Remember the old days when our mobile phones were only capable of playing boring monophonic tones? Those were the days when every time a phone rings in public, people would be scrambling for their cellphones trying to identify whose phone really is ringing. Because the old monophonic tones sounded alike, it was hard to figure out and distinguish a call alert when you are in a public place. Thankfully, ringtones eventually developed into much nicer tones like true tones which are more distinguishable. True tones allow us to spice up our call alerts and better personalize our mobile phones.

A lot of cellphone users favor ringtones a lot as it gives them joy and creativity. It can also be a great way to express your music taste through your call alerts. It can be very enjoyable going through your phone book list and trying to decide what kind of ringtone to assign to your callers. You can also create your very own personalized ringtone nowadays if you want to enhance your creativity. Ringtones are a cheap and easy way to accessorize your phone. You won't even have to pay for it as most online websites offer ringtones free of charge.

Unlike the old pre-installed monophonic tones where not many choices were given, true tones have countless of possibilities. When you do a search on the net and visit a website that offers downloadable ringtones, you will be bombarded with hundreds of MP3 tones for your phone. The newest and most popular music and music artists are sure favorites. There are numerous genres to choose from and you are given much flexibility to decide what to download. There are also ringtones of famous movie themes or TV series themes like superman, grey's anatomy, lost, sex and the city and a lot more. Anything from the classics to the freshest songs can be downloaded as tones.

Long gone are the days when cellphones were used for the purpose of communication. Today, it has become much more than that. Cellphones have become a very important part of our lives and ringtones have made it even more delightful.

Coming up with teen party ideas can be a challenging task. The days of throwing together a quick Barney party are long gone. So, roll up your sleeves, gird your loins, and get ready to sit down with your teen and figure out the "magical" theme that will bring a smile as big as the moon. Here's a few ideas to grease the shoot, so to speak.

TEEN PARTY IDEAS - GLOW-IN-THE-DARK

Teens love to have their parties at night, so you might as well take advantage of the dark and host a glow-in-the-dark party. There's instant excitement when you escort your guests into a pitch-black room that is illuminated with phosphorescent party items to greet your guests. Decorate with lots of balloons, curling ribbons, and streamers that will glow under the black lights. Add some tablecloths, party ware, hats, glow sticks, and wall decor, that all have glow-in-the-dark designs. Replace all your light bulbs with black lights. Consider hanging old-fashioned strobe lights and disco balls for effect.

TEEN PARTY IDEAS - HOLLYWOOD PARTY

Since your teen is the star of this soiree, you might as well take advantage and roll out the red carpet. You can either visit a carpet liquidator for a remnant or create a red walkway using plastic red tablecloths. Glue or tape large silver stars along the walkway containing the guests' names. At the entrance, place a larger gold star containing the birthday teen's name. Require the guys to wear black suits or tuxedos and the girls to wear long formal wear. As everyone arrives, give them each a pair of black sunglasses, perfect for a group photo op. Also, you might consider giving the guys black top hats and the girls "diamond" tiaras, to create another great group photo op. Fill the walls with movie posters or posters of Hollywood's great stars and starlets.

TEEN PARTY IDEAS - LASER TAG PARTY

Laser tag facilities usually offer special birthday party options from which you may choose. Laser Tag is a sport loosely associated with tag and hide and seek. It is played in a high-tech environment. Usually you will find theme arenas with special effects like fog, laser beams, mazes, and pulse-pumping music. The great thing about a laser tag party is that it takes everyone away from your home for the main event. The facility will clean-up as part of the package; all you need to do is show up! If you want to extend the party, opt for a pizza lunch or dinner, or you can take all the teens out for Chinese, tacos, or whatever the birthday teen desires.

Although party planning with a teen may be a bit challenging, remember the payoff will all be worth it in the end. When you see that smile on your teen's face on their special day, it will have all been worth it! Alas, another special memory created.

Sue Grafton was born on April 24, 1940 in Louisville, Kentucky where she and her sister were also raised. Her parents were Attorney C.W. Grafton and Vivian Harnsberger Grafton. Her father also wrote in his spare time had four mysteries published.

After graduating with a BA in English Literature from the University of Louisville in 1961, Sue worked in
Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, California, cashier, medical secretary and hospital admissions clerk. Although she started writing when she was 18 years old, she wasnít published until 1967.She started writing screenplays, Television movies, and television pilots.

Sue is married to Steven F. Humphries and has three children from previous marriages. She was in the middle of a divorce in the 1980ís when she started writing her Kinsey Millhone books. She joking says, "Your homicidal urges can be turned to good in this world. Donít let that ex-husband get you down! Just start a new job."

Sue Grafton lives in Santa Barbara where her Kinsey Millhone Protagonist lives, but she has renamed it Santa Theresa in the books. Many years ago another author, Ross Madonald, also set his protagonist, Lew Archer, in Santa Theresa.

Sue says that when she first did book signings, most of the people in line were women, but now there are at least as many men if not more. She is not a gender neutral writer.

Sue was writing one book a year but decided that was too much, so now she publishes a book about every eighteen months. She says that when she dies, she will leave all of her papers to Boston University. She absolutely refuses to let Hollywood get hold of Kinsey Millhone.

Books by Sue Grafton:
Kinsey Millhone Series:
A is for Alibi (1982)
B is for Burglar (1985)
C is for Corpse (1986)
D is for Deadbeat (1987)
E is for Evidence (1988)
F is for Fugitive (1989)
G is for Gumshoe (1990)
H is for Homicide (1991)
I is for Innocent (1992)
J is for Judgement (1993)
K is for Killer (1994)
L is for Lawless (1995)
M is for Malice (1996)
N is for Noose (1998)
O is for Outlaw (1999)
P is for Peril (2000)
Q is for Quarry (2002)
R is for Ricochet (2004)
S is for Silence (2005)
T is for Trespass (2007)
U is for Undertow (2009)

Kinsey Millhone Omnibus:
Three Complete Novels 1: A, B and C (1990)
Three Complete Novels 2: D, E and F (2001)
Three Complete Novels 3: G, H and I (2002)
Three Complete Novels 4: J, K and L (2007)
Three Complete Novels 5: M, N and O (2008)

Stand Alone Novels:
Keziah Dane (1967)
The Lolly-Madonna War (1998)

Anthologies Edited:
The Best American Mystery Stories: 1998 (1998) with Otto Penzler

Nonfiction:
Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America (2002)

Sue Grafton is well known for the meticulous and painstaking research she does for each book. Her entire series takes place in the 1980's, so she has to make sure she doesn't get ahead of herself (hmm...no cell phones...). Of course, that means Kinsey Millhone stays in her 30's, too.

A CD DVD burner now comes as standard with new home computers, and that is good news because such a system has extremely high capabilities. Whereas CD media allowed us to archive our files, and effectively gave us unlimited storage, DVD media gives us the option of the same thing with less physical space taken up. Where DVD excels is in the storage of video, and as that is becoming increasingly important, that is an important attribute to have. A combined CD DVD burner gives you the best of all worlds. It gives you choices.

CD media is now so cheap that it gives you the best option for storing important written files. Text files, Word documents and PDF files are so easy on memory usage that you can store a veritable library on one very cheap CD. The cheapness of CD means you can create multiple copies for extra safety. It also gives you an easy option for sending information through the post, and for having it put through doors as part of an advertising campaign.

CD is also still great for music lovers. There is now free software available which will rip the tracks from any CD and store them on the computer. There are also programs which will burn files to blank CD media, so you never need to worry about your expensive CD collection again. You can make perfect copies and play them as many times as you choose. You can take them with you when you go out and play them on your portable CD player. To do this, you need to burn an audio CD. A data CD will only play on a computer.

Creating such an audio CD needs a piece of software beyond the standard CD burner which is part of your operating system. Such software is readily available, and much of it is available as free downloads. DVD burning software is not free, but it gives you the capability of storing a far greater amount of data on a disc the same size. It also gives you the capability of handing video files. Video can be stored on CD, but it will only play on a computer unless it has been created as a video CD by paid software. Your CD DVD burner now gives you the possibility of creating DVD movies which will play in a standard DVD player.

If you have an older computer which does not have a CD DVD burner, or a notebook which has no disk drive of any kind, you can buy a standalone drive which will immediately give you the same capability of someone with a modern desktop PC. These drives are attached through the USB port. Modern notebooks have a very high specification, and do most things asked of them, but the need for a disc burner is often felt. That need can be completely satisfied with a CD DVD burner.

No matter what business you are in or what you do in your personal life, dealing with people is part of existing.

From making small talk with the cashier when you get your groceries to telling your mechanic the funny sound your car is making, it is not possible to live without dealing with people. It is how you deal with these people that can determine whether or not you yield a long term successful relationship or limit yourself to your existing network and in tern existing boundaries.

The size and strength of your social network can enable you to do things beyond your reach.

Your ability to properly communicate with others can be invaluable in a multitude of ways.

Just saying hello to a stranger as you walk by or chatting with someone in the movie store can bring you opportunities.

Let's say you just got laid-off of work as an accountant and you don't know what to do. You happen to strike up a conversation with someone at the coffee shop. You ask them how they are today and they reply, " well, I'm OK but I would be a lot better if I could find a good accountant, my accountant just quit on me in short notice." Just like that you found a job and you would have no idea it existed if you wouldn't have stricken up a conversation with a stranger.

That was just one example. The list goes on and on.

Let's say your car breaks down and it is an old car. The repairs cost more than the car is worth and you don't have that much money to spend on another car. You are getting some groceries and start talking to the guy in line behind you. He informs you that his mother had to surrender her license due to old age and he needs to sell her car to pay for her medical bills and he needs to sell it soon. It is a older car but it has low miles because she has only used it to go three blocks down the street to get groceries and go to church once a week. He makes a deal with you and you get a great bargain on a good car and you would have never known about it if you wouldn't have spoke to him.

Since dealing with and interacting with others is necessary then it makes sense to be as friendly and talkative as possible.

Think of all the opportunities you might have if you would implement this in your routine.

Interacting with other people is a one of the most important parts of life and it is how you deal with people that can determine your ability to move ahead or fall behind.

The choice is yours.

-Brendan

"The Secret" was written by Australian Rhonda Byrne and released as a movie on DVD in 2006. The main premise of this book is that 'our thoughts create our reality'.

We as humans are creatures of habit. Our thoughts become habitual - have you ever found yourself having the same thought over and over again? I bet you can recall an experience that you have had over and over again also. They go hand in glove - a thought is a thing and thoughts manifest into physical reality. As Lisa Nicols who appeared in the Secret says "What you think about you bring about".

You may find yourself saying 'I wasn't thinking of having a disagreement with my spouse this morning' so why did we have this disagreement? There is always that part of ourselves that wants to blame the other person for 'how we are feeling'. The truth is that no one makes us feel anything - we do that all for ourselves. Focusing on what we appreciate about our spouse, rather than what we resist or don't like about them, will shift our own vibration into the positive. The Secret suggests that as you lift your own vibration you will not be attracting 'that argument'. In other words you just won't buy into what is being argued about or you physically will not be in their hemisphere when they are upset.

The good news is that the opposite is also true, by using visualizations and affirmations on a consistent basis you can attract that reality that you prefer. For example you want to create a new home. So using the tools talked about in the Secret you would begin visualizing that new home complete with the furniture, aspect, size, colours, feelings, people etc. that the new home comes with. To really create you need to take it one step further and feel and see the new home, and also act and believe that you are already in possession of your new home.

Here's the step that can make the difference of whether you get what you're wanting or not. What creeps in during the lag of time between deciding on what we want, then visualizing, affirming and taking action to what we want? DOUBT - this is when some time has passed and the new house hasn't arrived yet. So unconsciously we start thinking about how the house has not manifested yet, then we start to question what we are doing wrong? Why it's not working for us and so forth. What happens is we start resonating with the doubt rather than resonating with the new fabulous house that we want to manifest. The key is; you must continue to believe, affirm and visualize that house as if it's already in your possession. Remember we are creatures of habit so the natural thing for our mind to do is to go back to the 'original thinking' of before we starting visualizing etc the new house.

Affirmation, visualizations need to be practiced on a daily basis. As we all live busy lifestyles and going 'within' to do the inner work can feel at first like we are not achieving anything. Given our 'instant gratification' lifestyle we expect things instantly. The process of creating the reality you prefer takes time and practice. Remember those thoughts you've had running around your mind may have been there for many years they don't just disappear overnight, rather - as you focus on new thoughts the old thinking becomes less ingrained and the new thinking becomes more etched in your mind. As we've established thoughts have energy and thoughts become things. Keep focused on what you're choosing to create and once you create it you'll wonder how you were ever without it!

It's not always easy finding the best boyfriend and girlfriend breakup advice especially when there's so much useless advice floating around in cyber space. For this reason you need to understand that the best advice isn't about living with it or moving on. It's about doing the deed and living to tell the tale.

No one wants to be the bad guy when relationships end. We all want to be able to be happy and we want the person that we once cared for deeply (maybe even loved) to be happy as well. Sometimes though, we reach a point where we realize that the person we are with is not the right one. It's a painful discovery that can be made so much more painful if the best boyfriend and girlfriend breakup advice isn't followed. Why is that? The breakup itself will cause pain to the one doing the dumping as well as the one being dumped.

So, how do you avoid bad blood when going through the breakup process?

Don't Cause a Scene

There are all kinds of great movie scenes involving breakups gone wrong. Take them to heart because art often imitates life. Don't breakup in a restaurant or while on a date. While you don't want to do it at home (the home of either one of you) you also don't want to do it in a place that provides no fast escape for one or the other of you. It's best to do in public but avoid places where you'll be forced to wait for a check or a waitress to bring change or credit card slips. Do it somewhere that offers a quick break from the intensity of a breakup for both of you if possible. Parks are great provided that you both have a way of getting home that doesn't require the other person.

Don't Draw it Out

This is not the time to offer long drawn out reasons. Just be simple and be brief. The time for questions will come later. Your ex is going to want to know why so be prepared to answer (if not tonight then at some point down the road). Offering a lengthy story to explain why will be completely lost so don't bother. Also don't offer excuses. Tell the truth. Whatever you do don't fall back to the same stale old reasons that other people give. You owe it to the relationship you had and any feelings you may have once had or still have for the other person to give an honest reason for calling it quits even if that reason makes you look bad.

Do these two things and you won't need to look for the best boyfriend and girlfriend breakup information; you'll already have it.

You know how excited men are about women's breasts. Actually, men are obsessed.

This, of course, makes women obsessed, too. And it causes them to do very strange things to their breasts.

Women pierce them, stuff them, tattoo, push up, and constrict them, compress them, clamp them with underwires, wrap them, suck them out to make them smaller, toxify them with chemicals leaching out of their bras, routinely X-ray them with mammograms to look for tumors, and sometimes agree to surgically remove them to prevent breast cancer.

Women treat their breasts as fashion accessories. Many women even refuse to use their breasts to nurse their babies since this, they fear, will mar their breasts' visual appeal.

Of course, from a biological perspective, breasts are for nursing babies. They also play a part in sexuality. However, as with all things, when people get obsessed, they go over the edge and start doing extreme things. The result is often disease.

Our culture causes disease by teaching us attitudes and behaviors that interfere with the way our bodies are supposed to function. When it comes to breast cancer, it is caused by an attitude that cleavage rules, and a behavior of daily bra wearing.

In fact, research has shown that the leading cause of breast cancer is the wearing of tight bras for long periods of time each day. Breast cancer is only a problem in cultures where women wear bras. Bra-free women have about the same incidence of breast cancer as men. On the other hand, women who sleep in their bras, or wear them 24/7, have a 3 in 4 chance of developing this disease.

Bras are constrictive garments designed to alter breast shape, which is accomplished by applying constant pressure to the delicate breast tissue. This constriction can impair the drainage of lymph fluid from the tissue, as the bra squeezes down on easily compressed lymphatic vessels. A healthy, unrestricted lymphatic system is essential for removing fluid and toxins from the breast tissue, and is the circulatory pathway of the immune system. Chronic compression and constriction of the breast lymphatic system by bras can result in fluid accumulation (lymphedema), breast pain, cyst formation, fibrocystic breast disease, and may lead to cancer. Signs of constriction are red marks and indentations in the skin left by the bra.

Why do women wear bras? It's because our culture trains them to. Girls start learning when very young that they are expected to have beautiful breasts. Toddlers are dressed in styles that mimic adult clothing, including wearing "tops" to cover their immature breasts. As they grow up, they see endless images of women on T.V., in magazines, in the movies, all showing women dressed in bras. They play with dolls like Barbie, which wear a bra. Their moms probably wear a bra. And they eagerly look forward to getting their first training bra as a sign of entering womanhood.

If she has small breasts, she will pad her bra and wear push-up models. She may also opt for implants, which compress lymphatic tissue from the inside adding to the problems caused by compression from the bra on the outside.

If she has large breasts, she may be told the myth to wear a bra to keep her breasts from sagging. She will not realize that if her bra is worn too tightly and for too long each day, it could cause the lymph fluid in her breasts to back-up, resulting in larger, heavier breasts. Some women actually feel pain when removing their bras, a sign of breast inflammation from the bra and dependence on the bra for support. Ironically, while the bra is causing the problem, her pain when removing it may keep her from ever taking it off.

Are Bras Necessary? Do women need bras? Was the female body designed with a flaw that requires 20th Century lingerie to correct?

According to the fashion moguls of our time, bras are essential. However, at one time, fashion makers insisted on the hourglass figure created by corsets, which became a public health menace for centuries, resulting in all sorts of internal and skeletal diseases caused by compression and constriction of the torso. And at the same time in history that corsets were a fashion in the West, Chinese women were dutifully binding their feet for fashion, causing distorted, diseased, decayed feet and toes, all to erotically please their husbands.

Clearly, fashions are not designed for health. Interestingly, large breasted women in bra-free cultures say they have no "need" for bras. In Fiji, a place where about half the women are bra-free, the women getting breast cancer are the ones wearing bras. The breasts of the bra-free women are healthy, without pain, cysts, or discomfort. In fact, they say their breasts are "too big to wear a bra". Women in predominantly bra wearing cultures, however, assume (as a result of lingerie industry advertising) that they "need" a bra for support. Actually, dependence on the bra causes the internal suspensory ligaments that naturally support the breasts to atrophy from non-use. Artificially supporting the breasts with bras causes droop.

Numerous women who have stopped wearing bras experienced almost immediate relief from breast pain and cysts. Once the constriction ended, the breast tissue was allowed to drain of fluid, and the problems greatly improved or completely disappeared.

There is much more to the history of body abuse in the name of fashion. The basic reason for it all is clear -- to please men.

There is nothing wrong with a woman wanting to attract a man, and keep him attracted. Each culture does it in its own fashion. The problem is when that fashion causes disease. How ironic that a disease that can maim and kill is caused by a product intended to bring people together.

But here's the good news. This means most cases of breast cancer are preventable. All you have to do is stop wearing bras, or, at least, don't wear them too tight for long periods of time a day, and certainly never wear a bra to sleep.

And this is where men come into the picture.

Guys, keep in mind that women are ultimately wearing a bra to please their man. So it is up to men to let their women know that natural and healthy is more beautiful than artificial and diseased. Women act as though they want to be loved for their looks. In reality, they fear rejection if their looks don't match the images promoted by the fashion industry. And as they age, their fear grows, as worshiped youth slips away.

You need to let her know you love her for who she is, not for how well she conforms to fashion. Tell her that her breasts are beautiful because they are part of her. Encourage her to prevent disease by caring for her breasts, putting comfort and health before all else.

And as a bonus, give her a breast massage. After years of breast constriction, the tissue is damaged, congested with fluid, and toxified. Massage can help cleanse the tissue. It could be a therapeutic, lymphatic massage. It could be an erotic massage. It could be both. The important thing is to help the breast tissue recover from years of bra wearing. There should be no soreness. She should feel no pain when her breasts are touched. If she has pain, it is most likely from years of abuse by bras. Over time, this pain should disappear, as the breasts regain their health.

So this is both bad news and good news. Bras are a leading cause of breast cancer, so women have developed this disease as a result of current fashion. However, this also means most breast cancer is preventable. Women simply need to end their breast bondage, finding support in their men instead of their bra.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their women.

I decided to revisit some of the conversations I have had with many women I have coached and mentored. And the question I found the most prominent was a little more than just a simple question but a dilemma. The dilemma has come my way in various question formats, and a series of frustrated statements. Here is a few:

"Why am I here?"
"I am not sure what it is that I am supposed to be doing."
"What is my purpose?"
"I am waiting on God to give me my purpose, give me a vision, Lord give me something."

I believe that in all of us God has placed a supernatural seed of purpose. It's supernatural because once identified we find that the assignment is something that we can not do on our own. We can not fulfill it with our current resources and abilities. It often times produces evidence that the assignment is for not just us alone but the manifestation of it will in turn be a blessing for others. I also believe that when the time is right God will send us on our own personal scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt has a number of clues to get us to the treasure. Each clue is given in small increments that I believe are given to us this way for the sake of not overwhelming us throughout the journey.

The problem I see arising in women is our inability to be committed to doing the work of actually hearing God on the matter. The work that I am suggesting is that there are some practical things we can do to partner with God in the PROCESS that will get us to the PROMISE. The bible tells us that if we SEEK we will find, and if we KNOCK the door will be open. The words seeking and knocking means that there are things in our human abilities that have to be done before we get to the answer we are seeking. Your movement or motion in several activities to seek God for your purpose shows God that you are very serious, radical and desperate for his will for your life. So today, I have a few recommendations to help you start in the process of finding the purpose that God has for you.

Recommendation #1

Begin to pray daily about the revelation of your purpose.

Praying each day with a focus on purpose will provide an atmosphere for God to begin to work with you towards finding out what it is that God has calling you to do.

Recommendation #2
Begin to list and recite scriptures that relate to finding purpose/plan for your life.

I would start with Jeremiah 29:11.

Recommendation #3
Take an inventory of those things that ignite passion in you.

Start by making a list of things that you have accomplished in the past that brought joy to your heart. Assess those activities' that you do that cause your zeal to increase. What do you like the read? What types of movies do you like to watch? All of these connect to what it is God has for your individual purpose.

Each day if you mediate and focus on your daily tasks, your daily happenings, your daily conversations, occupations you have held, you will eventually find these CLUES all pointing to some GREAT purpose.

Tickets at face value refer to the price that is printed on it. Tickets of all sporting events can be obtained from the websites of its organizers and authorized online ticket providers. Some websites such as Ticket Master state clearly that they sell the sports tickets at face value. However, obtaining the tickets for a number of very popular events is very difficult.

Most of the tickets that are sold by the sites at face value are grabbed by:

Promoters
Scalpers
Marketers
Tour sponsors
Fan clubs
Stadiums

These tickets are normally sold out within minutes of indicating their availability on the Internet. This means you don't have to visit the location of the ticket vendors. All you have to do is start early in a virtual queue. This is because it is very difficult for ordinary fans to obtain tickets at face value.

Tickets at Face Value: Euroleague and FA Cup

The Euroleague and FA Cup are the most exciting, popular sports events that make it so difficult for sports fans to get the tickets at face value.

The Euroleague: The Euroleague Basketball, also known simply as the Euroleague, is the most important professional basketball tournament in Europe. In this tournament, teams of up to 18 different European countries participate. The competition is organized by the ULEB, which is a European consortium of professional basketball leagues. The semifinal matches of the tournament are popularly known as the Final Four. The tickets of the Euroleague Final Four are among the much sought after commodities of sporting world.

FA Cup: The Football Association Challenge Cup, popularly known as the FA Cup, is one of the world's most popularly viewed football sporting events. Not only does it get your pulses racing like crazy, the FA Cup is a knockout English football competition which is run by the Football Association. No wonder, it is named after it. Although the name FA Cup denotes men's football tournaments, you can watch the women's tournament which is also organized by the association. Because of its huge popularity, obtaining tickets for the event is like embarking on a challenging situation where the odds are totally pitted against you like in the Hollywood movie, Mission Impossible.
The best way to buy the tickets at face value for these events is to opt for the secondary online market. In such markets, package offers maybe provided although at high prices.

Buying Tickets at Face Value Online

Buying tickets online is very similar to buying good books. All you would need is to choose the right quality, provider and then pay for your transaction through the Internet.

It is possible for you to find the sites in the search engine. You can also visit those offering the tickets at face value. If you find such a site, your next step is to:

verify the authenticity of the site
check the information featured there
contact customer support to raise any queries or issues you want clarity on
provide details of your credit card
state your shipping address
finalize the transaction safely

Typically, your online transaction can be completed within minutes. Before actually buying the tickets, read our list of detailed reviews on various online ticket providers.

Almost everyone gives their employees a holiday gift: a turkey, a fleece jacket, a party, movie tickets, a gift certificate, maybe even a cash bonus...

Some employee gifts are big, some are smaller, but regardless of the size, they all too frequently feel a little, well, generic.

If you could see into your employee's hearts you would know that it is not the size of the gift that counts, it is the personal gesture from their employer that matters most.

MAKE YOUR GIFTS PERSONAL TO MAKE THEM COUNT.

If your employees know that you are thinking of them as an individual - not just one more faceless person in the crowd - your gift will transform from merely a nice gesture into an amazing loyalty builder.

Now, I am not suggesting that you have to go buy individual gifts for everyone on your staff (although if you have a small group, do just that for maximum effect!) but I am suggesting that you add a personal touch for each employee.

Here are a few "personal touch" ideas:

• Tie each employee's favorite snack on top of their gift. It might be Doublemint Gum for Sally and a package of Cheez-Its for Jim. The point is to let them know you are thinking of them as an individual.
• If you are giving gift certificates, give them according to each person's interests. Music lovers get certificates to Best Buy, outdoor enthusiasts get certificates to REI, a knitter gets a certificate to a local yarn store and so on. Takes a little bit more effort than buying everyone a Wal-Mart certificate - but much more personal.
• Give gift baskets themed for each employee. There are chocolate lovers baskets, sports fans baskets, baskets for gardeners, college student baskets, baskets for cooks, elegant baskets, baskets for nearly anyone you can think of! You can get one gift basket company to put together all the baskets you need - just give them a price range and the kind of baskets you are looking for. They do all the work for you. Easy AND personal!
• Order magazine subscriptions for everyone based on their hobbies or interests. There are magazines for every topic under the sun... from parenting to bird watching, from woodworking to NASCAR racing. Sky is the limit here! Just search online for the topic and key word "magazine". You are bound to have lots of choices. Fast, personal, and fun to receive.
• Here is my favorite idea that can be used with any kind of gift or in addition to the ideas above. Add a card to each present with a personal message for that employee. Tell them why they have been important to your business over the past year. How their particular contributions have made a difference, or what qualities and characteristics you value in them as a person. Writing the messages will take some time, but your employees are worth it.

It is simple. Show your employees that you care for them and they will take care of you in return.

And see if you are not more excited about GIVING your gifts this year than ever before...

Public speaking is fundamental to my profession. Every week, without fail, I'm in front of an audience. Size and location vary - from a dozen people in a corporate boardroom to several hundred at a convention centre. Regardless of the size or scope or topic, I generally make sure there's time provided for questions from the floor.

Many people are reluctant to ask a question. Call it inhibition or self-consciousness, bottom line; it's good old-fashioned fear - getting in the way. On the other hand, there are folks just waiting to hear the sound of their own voices. Often "specialists" in one-upmanship, they tend to monopolize the time allowed, making everyone uncomfortable.

I've compiled a guide to help increase the comfort zone for everyone, so question periods become effective and useful tools.

Maximizing Q & A Period at Your Next Meeting

1. Frame your question carefully before raising your hand.
2. When there's a large group, wait till you have the microphone, before asking your question.
3. Pause, and wait for the audience to settle down.
4. Briefly thank the speaker. A simple - "Thank you for taking my question" - is sufficient.
5. Don't use the speaker's first name unless the atmosphere is casual and all the participants are on equal footing.
6. Introduce yourself but keep it short; "I'm Bob Jones from IT and my question is....."
7. Speak up. Your brief introduction is a personal sound check. Modify your voice if you think you can't be heard.
8. One question only is the rule - stay focused. Weaving multiple questions together isn't fair play.
9. Same goes for a complicated question requiring a long, drawn out answer. This isn't the right forum for explaining the quantum theory. Keep your question simple.
10. If you've already asked your question but sense it overstepped boundaries - too complicated, requires an elaborate answer, has caught the speaker off-guard - immediately back off and say; "I think this is a subject for another time. Thank you."
11. Avoid sensitive questions that could offend either the speaker or the audience. What works in the movies is just plain rude in real life.

We'd like to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts.

If you want to adopt a dog but you have children there is always a concern about getting an animal that is too aggressive, and does not get along well with kids. There are some breeds that are not suitable for the purpose simply because of their nature. Here are some of the breeds that should not be taken home when there are children:

Chow Chow
This dog, while it may appear to be adorable, can be quite an aggressive little creature, especially if they are poorly bred. Because of their aggression and active nature, they constantly need reinforcement to stay well-behaved.

Pit Bulls
This might seem like a no-brainer, but there are individuals who have had these dogs be completely friendly with their children for a long time, only to have their young ones hurt one day because they wandered outside to where the dog was fed, or something "unknown" triggered the animal to become aggressive. These dogs are traditionally known for the bites because they lock their jaws onto the victim and have incredible strength.

Dobermans
While these dogs in some cases if received as a puppy may do well as a family dog, they are generally known to be aggressive. They largely act upon instinct and if provoked, and when they do bite, they can do a lot of damage. Adopting an adult Doberman is a risk because of their unknown background...you have no idea what might upset their temperament.

Dalmatians
While these dogs are beautiful, and can seem to be very settled, they have the tendency to bite without any cause or provocation. Because children can cause a bit of chaos for the dog, it may lead to more danger than usual, and taking that chance isn't worth it. This is really unfortunate because many children love Dalmatians either because of the popular movie, or because they are the mascot of the local fire company.

Saint Bernard
The same puppy rule applies here as with the Dobermans. These can be gentle creatures if they are trained well as puppies in the family setting. However, they grow to be very large and if adopted as an adult, there may be temper issues and in this case it can be dangerous to have children around. Like the Dalmatians, this breed is popular because of how cartoons tend to stylize the animal to appear to be a giant, cuddly ball of fur.

There are many breeds that have a reputation to be well-tempered, but in the case of adopting an adult dog, always check their history to find any reason why their personality may be other than what is expected.

Not all high heels are incredibly high like the kind that you see the movies but you still need to make sure that you know how to walk in heels to avoid injury and to make sure you have is little chance of having an embarrassing fall as possible. In this article I'll give you a general overview of how you should walk while in heels to avoid putting extra pressure on your muscles. This will also help you to balance more comfortably and hence have a better night out.

First of all you should always make sure that you put your heel down first before the rest of the foot although you should do it in one fluid movement and without delay.

Some people tend to twist their feet when they walk in heels so you should make sure that you put your feet straight forward every time. Don't keep your arms stuck beside you - instead use them to swing to keep balance.

The most important thing to remember if you're going to walk in heels is to make sure that the weather conditions are right. If it is a cold or icy night in the winter than it is probably not a good idea to wear your high heels because it will be extremely slippery.

In fact, it is much better to walk in bare feet then it is to walk in heels on the bad conditions. Be sensible about where you walk with your high heels and you're much less likely to have an accident and put extra stress on your muscles.

If you live in a house that has large cracks in the walls or large cracks coming off of the corners of your doors and window openings, there's a good chance that your house is suffering from structural foundation damage. What does it look like and what can we do about it?

The first thing that we need to do is understand how the structural foundation damage actually happened to your house. The major cause for structural foundation damage in most parts of the United States is going to be poor soil conditions and erosion.

If the soil isn't compacted properly or the house was built on poor soil, there is a very good chance that the house will suffer eventually from foundation damage, however the extent of the damage won't be known until it actually happens.

Now what can you do about the house that has large cracks on the interior and exterior walls? You can fix the walls, but if you don't fix the foundation, you're going to have more cracks in the future. You can't fix the walls before you fix the building foundation damage.

It would take a lot more than this simple article to tell you everything that I know about structural foundation damage, but the one thing that I can tell you for sure, is to get it fixed as soon as possible, to prevent more damage to the rest of the house.

Even if you get books, read articles or watch movies on foundation repairs, it wouldn't be a bad idea to contact a licensed professional to get their opinions. If you're not going to hire the building foundation repair contractors, explain your situation to them and see if they can offer any advice or work out some sort of financial agreement, just in case you need their services.

If a relationship is consumed with fighting at all times, then it is bound not to have a happy ending. If you think that you are the major reason why the constant fight is happening and you want to somehow correct it and save your relationship then this is a must read for you, simple tips on how to get your ex back!

Yes, it is not going to be that easy, most especially if you had it to a point where your partner has reached his limit and thinks that he is better off without you. All you have to do is to read on.

Tip #1 - Try to talk to your ex. Communication has always been a big issue in most relationships, the lack of it in general. If you were once afraid to talk things out with your ex, which led you to fight at all times, simply because you weren't able to explain exactly what you want or how you feel. Then you can still fix things by talking to your ex now. If he will allow you to do so, try to tell him everything now. By doing so, you have a great chance to fixing all the problems you once had and get your ex back at the same time.

Tip #2 - If the reason behind your break-up is the lack of romance then try to rekindle the flame by spicing things up in the romance department. Do the things that you failed to do with your ex. If you once lack the initiative, then change it now. Take some time with your ex and show him what you can still do for the both you. Do things together like dining out, watching movies, going on trips, etc. As long you as you are given the chance to amend the things the you think you caused, then be grateful. Not everybody is being given a second chance at true love. Get your ex back while he is still within your reach.

Tip #3 - If your ex simply wants to have a time out of your relationship then so be it. Maybe he only wants what's best for the both of you. Give him the freedom and the space that he needs. While the both of you are at it, enjoy that time for yourself as well.

If you want to get your ex back, try to undo the things that caused your break-up. Be the one that he fell in love with once again.

Throughout the year you have spent your time worrying about work, financial issues, family problems, and even health. You don't remember a week without stress and somehow you miss your family. As the Yuletide season slowly creeps around the corner, you begin to think about how to make the most out of the holidays - and, of course, the winter season with your family.

But worry not! We have one terrific venue for a vacation that's worthy of adorable memories: Cape Cod.

The Cape is a peninsula in Massachusetts located at the easternmost portion of the state in the northeastern United States. It is much-visited and peaks in its tourist season during the summer between the Memorial and Labor Days. The area boasts of high-rate productions in cranberries and many types of seafood. Because of its humid continental climate, it is a sellout for a lot of tourists.

Because the Cape is near the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is relatively balanced. This means that the summers are cooler than in other states and the winters are warmer. This makes Cape Cod a very good candidate for you next family getaway.

Here are some Cape Cod winter activities you and your family should consider:

• Indoor fun. Spend a quiet evening with your family. It may be just in your rented room or in a cozy living room suite. You can play board games, card games or watch a get-happy movie. Remain undisturbed by work and other usual priorities and simply savor your time with your family. Baking warm goodies also sounds nice.
• Bonfire. This is an all-time favorite winter activity wherever you are in the world because it warms you up from the cold and lets you spend meaningful time with the people you're spending the vacation with.
• Early morning strolls. Winters always provide a different kind of peace. Everything is painted a bit white, the environment is cold, and your cheeks are rosy. Take a stroll around the Cape and have fun sightseeing. Since it's a tourist haven, you will have plenty to see. You can also wait for the souvenir stores to open and sip tea/coffee while you're at it.
• Snow fun. Simply do nothing but play with the snow and let yourself go! Let out the inner child within you and go all out in the snow. It is abundant, clean, and doesn't cost anything! Moments with snow fun can be literally priceless.

So take some time off this winter and spend it with your family at the Cape. It will surely be a very memorable experience.

Murder, She Wrote, by Legacy Interactive, is a great mystery, adventure game. It is really five murder mysteries in one. You play the game as the Angela Lansbury character, Jessica Fletcher, from the long-running "Murder, She Wrote" television series. Each mystery is tied to a book in the book shelf. Three of the mysteries take place in Cabot Cove, Jessica Fletcher's home town.

The adventures include finding hidden objects and using them in unique ways to solve the mystery. Hints about what to find come out of Jessica's typewriter. You have to find the typewriter ribbon and the missing vowels to complete the words on the list.

The graphics are a bit cartoon like, but great for this type of adventure. Many scenes have a mini-game or puzzle to solve. Most of the mini-games or puzzles are related to the mystery, helping the user piece together the clues. I believe the innovation of adding the mini-games to the hidden-object adventure is a real plus. The mini-games can be played on a timer, or not timed. Playing the mini-games can move the hidden objects around so they aren't always in the same place when you get out of the mini-game. That can add some playing time and suspense to the over all game.

I like the combination of five mysteries into one game, finishing one mystery allows a person to open the next. I can come to a good stopping place, by ending one mystery, but still be excited about starting the next installment when I get back to my computer.

With the addition of the mini-games and puzzles, the combination of five mysteries in one, and the movie scenes that make up the background and context to the game itself, Murder, She wrote plays a lot like an episode in one of the TV series, and is bound to bring hours of entertainment to any user. I would rate the game a 4.5 on a scale of 5!

In case you haven't caught it yet, they expect you to fail at parenting. Who are "they?" Everyone. Your in-laws, your cousins, your dog and your parents all expect you to fail miserably at raising your kid(s), especially during the teen years. It's a motiff, a statistic, a played-out story-line that's in every movie, novel and television show. They're all thinking,

You will fail, because I failed.

Does it have to be true? Is this some cosmic, cruel joke or hard and fast rule like gravity you can't escape? No, it's just a reflection of well-meaning people with varying motives trying to either justify their own failures or who simply parrot what the culture expects. Don't worry about them, the real question is, how are you going to prove them dead wrong?

Here are 3 tips to step up your game as a parent. If you don't have teens yet, you may one day, so read on and take it for what it's worth.

What Was Aretha Franklin Singing About?

You've got that right: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Then she'd croon, "Find out what it means to me!" Great advice, something every parent should remember. Your children are people, even if they are hormone-producing monsters at times. It's Dr. Jekyll one moment and Mr. Hyde the next.

Through it all, despite it all - they want respect, just like you. Shock them, especially as they get older, and give it to them. Dignify them when they speak, ask their opinions, enable them to communicate with you. Treat them like they're your kids, and you love them. Show them you care, beyond getting up and going to work each day. A little respect goes a long way.

A little bit of sarcasm and insulting words go a long way, too, but in the wrong direction. If you don't have anything uplifting or affirming to say, then bite down really hard and smile.

When Not To Blow a Gasket

This is easy: never. Hey, alright, you've had a bad day at work, your boss is cranky city, your commute stinks and your bills are piling up. That should not inform your parenting one bit. None of that is an excuse to vent on your teen.

Let's say your teen did something really...teenager-ish. They backed your car into the mailbox. They played hookie from school. Whatever it is - venting your anger isn't the same thing as disciplining your child. Never confuse or mix the two.

Angry words are like stoking the flames - sparks flying about everywhere, the flames surge higher and hotter. They don't provide relief. They wound you as the parent (your credibility goes way down). They also hurt worse than fists, and sting for far longer. Don't give yourself the opportunity or excuse to vent.

After all, if you don't remain in control of your tongue, why should they?

Do as I say...Not as I Do

There's nothing better than hypocrisy to make your credibility and respectability dwindle to oblivion in your teen's eyes. Not much more needs to be said here, other than the fact that your teenager won't do what you say if you can't do it yourself. Who would?

Almost everybody has had a romance that ended. Each time a romance ends, at least one part of the couple hurts. It can be devastating to feel like you failed at something you considered important. And in many cases, the one left hurting goes looking for ways to get the ex back.

Romances end for a variety of reasons. And sometimes, ending the relationship is good for both parties. If the relationship you are so broken up about was abusive whether it was physical, verbal, or emotional, you are better off by far. Do not even think about trying to get your ex back.

It is interesting that most relationships follow a pattern. When the romance is new, everything is wonderful and rosy. After a short period of time, you become comfortable with your partner and allow yourself to get into a rut. And soon you become aware of all the little annoying habits your partner has that you never noticed before. Trouble begins to simmer.

As the troubles escalate, your relationship is tested. You have to decide if you want to continue with this person whose habits are irritating, or do you just want to quit. There are even times when you think the relationship could be great again if only you knew what to do.

Relationships are work. There is no time to let down your guard. You must work to keep the relationship going good. If you ignore it, it will die.

You are reading this article because you are trying to learn how to get your ex back. Here are some steps that will help you do just that.

1. Take a break. Usually after a relationship has failed, both parties need a cooling off period. You must take time away from each other and clear your head so you can think. Make it a point not to contact him in any way. No phone calls, no emails, no test messages. There must be absolute silence from you

This time apart from each other gives you time to think about the relationship and if you would be interested in rekindling the romance.

2. Find the real you again. During this cooling down period, take the time to pamper yourself. You should become your own biggest fan. Develop some new interests whether it is playing cards with your friends or learning to golf. Get together with friends and go to the movies, learn to belly dance, or something else that is fun.

Take special note of your personal appearance. Do not allow yourself to look like you have lost your best friend, even though you have. Perk up! Wear a smile all the time. Give yourself a make over, from your hair style to a pedicure. Buy a new outfit in your favorite color, or at least the color that you wear the best.

3. Keep control of the face-to-face meeting. You think it is time to ask to meet with your ex. You have healed enough from the breakup that you can talk about it. Before you make the date to meet, know what you want to talk about, and know where you want to meet. Look your best when you meet. If you look confident, and move with confidence, you can be a winner. If you will control the meeting, your ex cannot use this discussion of the issues to start up another verbal battle. Deal only with the issues.

4. Apologize to your ex. By now you should have taken a critical inventory of the romance that died. You should have learned what you did that caused the breakup. Once you acknowledge your part in the breakup, you are ready to decide whether or not you are willing to change. Apologize for what you did that caused the relationship to end. You cannot simply offer a blanket "I'm sorry," but should apologize for specific actions.

If you should determine you want to restore the relationship, you must be prepared to change your behavior that led to the breakup. If you are willing to change, understand old habits die slowly. You must be willing to work on changing your behavior continually. And even then expect there to be lapses along the way.

Whether you get your ex back or not, the failure of this relationship has given you opportunities to grow. You are not the same person you were before the breakup. Embrace the new you.

The presence of Contactless Prepaid Cards is slowly but steadily becoming more and more visible and it certainly seems that they are here to stay.

Contactless cards differ from regular pre paid cards in the way the information is read from them by the card reader.

A regular prepaid debit card stores its data on a magnetic stripe that must be physically swiped through a card reader or on a microchip which must be inserted into a Chip & PIN device.

A contactless pre paid debit card, on the other hand, stores its data on a microchip embedded in the card's plastic. The microchip is fitted with a radio antenna that is capable of transmitting the card's data to a card reader without physical contact.

Using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, a contactless pre paid credit card can transmit data to a special RFID card reader when the cardholder waves his card within a few inches of the receiver.

• Who accepts contactless prepaid cards? Up until very recently, contactless prepaid credit cards were only accepted at select convenience stores, gas stations, movie theaters, and fast food restaurants. However, the main driving force behind contactless card movement is to persuade consumers to use plastic conveniently at places which have traditionally been cash-intensive. Doing so would speed transaction times and reduce lines. While few merchants accept the contactless payments right now, the technology is expected to catch on soon and most prepaid card issuers are watching the market trends carefully with widespread rollouts are predicted in the months and years to come.

• Who issues contactless prepaid credit cards? Contactless prepaid cards are available from the major scheme providers with badges such as MasterCard PayPass, Visa Contactless and American Express ExpressPay. There are few examples of successful contactless prepaid cards currently but some successes would be the limited edition MasterCard contactless prepaid cards for the 2007 Brit Awards as well as a pilot programme to help deliver the first stadium contactless prepaid card in Europe, the Manchester City FC MasterCard® Prepaid Seasoncard with PayPass(TM), with MBNA and MasterCard to replace the standard season ticket currently issued to supporters.

• Are they safe? With contactless cards, you do not actually need to use your your Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete a transaction and undoubtedly, this element of contactless cards makes consumers slightly nervous and unsure about using these cards. However, the cards can currently only be used to make micropayments - which means that they are restricted for use on transactions of up to £10 only. So if someone did manage to steal or misuse your card, your exposure is very limited. Furthermore, as long as you inform your bank as soon as possible that your card is missing, you will not be liable for any fraudulent transactions either. On occasion, your PIN may be requested to confirm that you are the cardholder and you are still in possession of the card.

The Contactless technologies provided by the leading scheme managers are as follows:

• MasterCard Paypass
• Visa Paywave
• American Express Expresspay

One of the biggest dilemmas faced by prepaid card issuers is the area of how to make money with contactless prepaid cards as well as how to educate consumers about their use and convince them that contactless pre paid cards are indeed safe and secure to use.

Universities are now starting to look at the benefits of these cards as they provides identity features which include details such as the student's personal data and photograph printed on the plastic and typically access to university buildings and labs and secure areas around the canteens, etc is managed using the card's magnetic stripe and embedded chip. In fact, access to to different rooms of the university, such as laboratories, libraries or classrooms can be automatically approved or limited. Contactless plastic can also be used to log the attendance of students at exams, classes, events and seminars in addition to providing access to internet and university web services.

With the London Travel Oyster Card and the steadfast commitment of certain banks to delivering contactless prepaid cards, we can rest assured that these contactless cards are undoubtedly going to become more visible in the near future.